Tanabata (七夕, meaning “Evening of the seventh”), also known as the Star Festival, is a Japanese festival originating from the Chinese Qixi Festival. It celebrates the meeting of the deities Orihime and Hikoboshi (represented by the stars Vega and Altair respectively). According to legend, the Milky Way separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata)

This video, made in 2014, introduces this festival (commentary is in English), and PSH’s Japanese fans have created these visuals to celebrate Tanabata.

What has LAL got to do with Valentine’s Day? Maybe nothing, maybe everything.

Koreans have a Valentine’s Day every month — February 14 (today) is Valentine’s Day as we all know it, on March 14 it’s White Valentine, on May 14 it’s Yellow Valentine….

LAL will start screening in Korea on March 10 and in Japan on May 14.

プリント

Valentine’s Day in Korea is a little different from Valentine’s Day elsewhere in world. In fact, Valentine’s Day is one of 12 “love days” celebrated on the 14th of every month in Korea. These days range from the popular (White Day) or depressing (Black Day), to the bizarre (Hug Day) and everything in between.aaaValentine’s Day (February 14)
On Valentine’s Day in Korea women give chocolate to men as a sign of affection. Traditionally, men that receive these gifts will give a gift in return the following month on White Day.aaaaWhite Day (March 14)
White Day is the man’s turn to show his affection with sugary sweetness, and takes place a month after Valentine’s day on March 14. The name stems from the giving of primarily white gifts by men, like white chocolate and lingerie.aaaaBlack Day (April 14)
Supposedly, singles that did not receive a gift on either Valentine’s day or White day congregate on April 14, otherwise known as “Black Day”, to eat Jjajyangmyeon (black noodles) with other single friends.aaaaRose Day (May 14)
May 14 is a day that everybody can celebrate, whether you’re single or romantically committed. Couples exchange fresh roses to express their love, and single Koreans get together to eat yellow curry (and hopefully snag a date!)aaaa
The Other Days: Other monthly couples days occurring on the 14th are: Diary Day (January), Kiss Day (June), Silver Day (July), Green Day (August), Photo Day (September), Wine Day (October), Movie Day (November), Hug Day (December).

There is a current Chinese saying:
「不怕神一般的對手，只怕豬一般的隊友」
Translation: “Not afraid of Godlike opponents, only afraid of pig-like team-mates”
meaning: Your success (or failure) does not necessarily depend on the strength of your opponents/rivals, but also on the strength (or weakness) of your own team.

In an earlier post 神級偶像, 豬的團隊, we called PSH 神級偶像, that is, Godlike idol. We think PSH is nonpareil in the entire Korean entertainment world. No other actor can hold a candle to him. In a field saturated with 小鮮肉 (little fresh meat = very young artists – new, green, raw), which spring up by the dozen practically every month in Korea, PSH can still hold his own and is in a class by himself.

Every time PSH lands in the last 10 of a voting contest — the elimination kind — we feel elated, of course, but also a little embarrassed because he is invariably the oldest of the lot. The other finalists are all 10, even 20, years younger than he. So? He’s a late bloomer. Never forget it took him 10 long, hard years to gain recognition in the Korean entertainment world.

We remember when PSH was still with EYAGI, even though he was the management agency’s No.1 actor, we felt they’re not managing his career properly, so that he’s not getting as many roles to showcase his acting talents as he should have. In his last year with EYAGI, they were practically “freezing” him in 2012 (possibly because of a contractual dispute.) We suspect EYAGI was trying to force PSH to re-sign on their terms.

When PSH went on the catwalk for Yumi Katsura’s wedding fashion in Tokyo in February 2012, we were very gratified he posted some photos of himself on the show on Twitter — between shows. And then (delayed reaction) we were shocked and outraged. PSH was doing 3 shows in one day, and he had to post photos on the web by himself?! What was his management agency for?

For the rest of 2012, EYAGI just let PSH idle his time away. The Chinese project “Poor Boy Makes It Rich” came to nothing. The music video in Thailand was aborted halfway. We cursed EYAGI for their ineptitude. How come they could not cast PSH in a Korean drama?

It wasn’t until December 2012 that PSH got to star in “Cheongdam-dong Alice” which was such a resounding success. Just when it looked like nothing could stop him from reaching his pinnacle as an actor, that terrible incident happened on Valentine night, 2013. If EYAGI’s H really did what many people thought he did to ruin PSH (because he would not renew his contract), he is not a pig (stupid) but a poisonous snake (dangerous, treacherous). He took away 3 years of PSH’s life and set back his career by 10 years.

We admire so much PSH’s resilience and courage and his never-say-die attitude. We were so happy when he set up his own management agency Hoo Factory. Now at long last he did not have to be beholden to any boss; he could do what he wanted. But then a company is only as good as its staff, and when it’s small and inexperienced and does not have clout, it won’t make much headway in Korea.

So they were wise to look elsewhere, to find an oblique way for PSH to make his comeback in Korea — making movies in China (whatever happened to LAL?), holding fan meetings in Japan and China (oops! that one was aborted in late 2014) …. The CFM eventually materialized as the Shanghai Fan Meeting in February 2015, but from all reports, it left much to be desired. NOT PSH’s performance, which was always top-notch, but the organization and logistics management.

Fast forward to November 2015. Well, we don’t even want to mention that event. We would just like to say (what we’ve said more than once before) that if PSH really wants to break into the China market in a big way, he must hire a good, reputable Chinese agent. Every country has its own culture and its own way of doing business. Some people say it’s very difficult to do business in China, that you need connections, but someone we know (who’s been doing business in China for close to 20 years) tells us that doing business in China is like doing business anywhere in the world, that you need to build up mutual respect and trust, and of course, negotiate with your eyes wide open and read all the fine print on the contract. It is NOT true that they cheat or take advantage of you, he says, more often than not it’s give-and-take. They’re willing to pay big money if you’re worth it, but of course, it’s business and they expect to make money.

PSH may be Godlike and awe-inspiring in his acting (we’ve said more than once he’s the best Korean actor of his generation), but if he is surrounded by second-rate people, he is bound to be bogged down. In the course of shooting “Neighborhood Hero”, there’s not a single photo posted by HF or PSH’s official websites. We had to go to his co-stars’ Twitter/Instagram/Facebook to find the crumbs. We wish to make his long-awaited return to Korean drama a trail of blazing glory, but his associates are not helping at all.

Just saw this on the Weibo of Chinese model Jadie who wrote on November 21:

“Saw my CF with Park Si Hoo in Korea”
在韩国看到了自己的广告링VS박시후(朴施厚）

This is a Chinese posting on a Chinese website. Are the Koreans not aware of this PSH CF? Some Chinese fans discovered the shop selling this brand a while ago and they even posted the address (which we posted earlier). We would have thought his Korean fans would have descended on the shop in droves and cleaned out everything from the shelves (as the Chinese fans did with PSH’s skincare products), but nothing?

Is PSH fighting a one-man battle? Of course not! We are here every day (even in the midst of overwhelming personal problems) to cheer him on. We want to make sure he makes his comeback in style, and when he is in his rightful place again, we can call it a day. But there’s only so much (or so little) that we can do. We call upon his compatriots and especially those in an official capacity to do their utmost for this peerless actor. Because HE’S WORTH IT!

Kimjang: Making and Sharing of Kimchi
Kimjang, the making and sharing large quantities of kimchi (fermented cabbage) ahead of the long winter months to come, is an essential part of Korean culture. Despite being centered around kimchi, this practice has never been limited to just food preparation. Kimjang is more of a ceremony, bringing family members together, promoting cooperation among members of society and sharing with the less fortunate. This provides a sense of identity and unity, enhancing ties among different communities.

2012.11.05 His movie “Confession of Murder” started screening in Korea

2012.11.05 電影”我是殺人犯”在韓國公映

YOUTUBE

TUDOU

http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/JuX2B-w0m5U/

aaaaa

And today – November 11 – is Pepero Day.

Pepero Day is an observance in South Korea similar to Valentine’s Day. It is named after the Korean snack Pepero and held on November 11, since the date “11/11″ resembles four sticks of Pepero. The holiday is observed mostly by young people and couples, who exchange Pepero sticks, other candies, and romantic gifts.

This Pepero Day has been taken over by the Chinese who call it 光棍節 – “Stick Festival” – and celebrate it with lavish gifts. But 光棍 is a slang term for “bachelor”.

We wonder when PSH will leave behind the status of 光棍.

PSH and COM co-star Jung Jae Young doing the cinema rounds on Pepero Day in 2012